Is This Love, or Could it Be?
by trace619
Summary: Two shot based on the country song 'Could it Be'. Sometimes things might go a little too far, mistakes are made, or, you might end up right where you're supposed to be. A/O and a little Noah.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Woke up with this song in my head yesterday morning and could not get the idea out of my head. I'm sure some of you are looking for an update on my current story and I hope to have one for you this week. This story is based on the song Could it Be. I had planned it as a one shot but an epilogue will follow soon seeing as it's about halfway complete. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!**

* * *

The room was dark and quiet when she first began to stir. Alex slowly shifted and groaned at the pain in her head, the next thing she noticed was how dry her mouth was. The tell-tell signs of an approaching hangover made her groan again. She turned her head to her right to see what time it was and noticed her alarm clock wasn't there. Alex was about to reach out to the bedside table when she heard it; slow, deep breathing next to her, a small snore. She closed her eyes as she felt the body shifting in the bed next to her. _'Oh God, what have I done?'_ she wondered _'Who have I done?!'_

Her mind raced as she tried to decide what to do. The small amount of light coming through the curtains allowed her to see her work clothes scattered across the floor. Thankfully at some point she'd slipped a t-shirt on but nothing else, evident when she could see her underwear laying a few feet from the bed. She reached out carefully so as not to wake whoever was next to her and picked up her phone, just after three am. Just as she was planning her covert escape her bed partner rolled over and a familiar scent caught her attention. Alex froze where she was, the panic was beginning to rise again, yet at the same time she felt her body relax just a bit. She turned her head to the left to see Olivia sleeping peacefully next to her.

There had been times over the years she had wondered what this would be like. Not so much this she thought to herself, but she had definitely wondered what it would be like to do what they did the night before. The fog began to clear from her mind and Alex sighed at the memories of what they had done. The sighs, the touches; hands, lips and fingers, tastes and scents flooded her mind. Nothing she'd imagined could come close to the reality. She now began to wonder what this would do to their fifteen year friendship. Losing Olivia as one of her closest friends wasn't something she wanted to think about. Realizing that their friendship had already changed Alex decided to stay exactly where she was and savor the moment. Things could look a lot different in the morning light, and they may no longer be close friends. If this could be the last time she gets to spend with Olivia she was going to enjoy it. Wanting to at least try and clear the desert from her mouth she decided a quick trip to the bathroom and a sip of water from the sink couldn't hurt, she began to roll toward the edge of the bed. Just as she was about to raise up she felt a hand on her arm. Freezing in her spot she quietly turned her head and was glad to see Olivia was still asleep, but her heart leapt at the thought of the brunette reaching out for her. Deciding the water could wait she laid back down and settled on her back. Before she knew what had happened Olivia snuggled closer and draped and arm over her abdomen. Alex smiled and drifted back to sleep.

The noise of the city awakening began drifting in from below. Alex slowly opened her eyes then closed them again, definitely a hangover now. However the feel of Olivia's body snuggled against hers eased the pain in her head. She rose up just enough to see the clock on Olivia's bedside table, just after six am. Even though it was Saturday she knew the brunette's internal alarm clock would be going off soon and so would Noah's. From what Olivia had told her the little boy considered seven am sleeping late on the weekends. Alex now looked down at the woman sleeping next to her; Olivia's head resting on her chest while her left arm was across Alex's body. It didn't escape her attention that Olivia's left hand was resting in her right, their fingers laced together. While they weren't a couple, they weren't an 'us', and they'd had what she considered the best sex of her life the night before, she couldn't help but feel in that moment-cocooned together, hands joined that it was far more intimate than anything that had occurred the night before. Her head was killing her but more than that she could feel her heart as if it were about to beat out of her chest. She willed it to slow down so as not to wake Olivia. While thinking about how they would talk about this when Olivia woke Alex smiled to herself, she had absolutely no regrets.

The first thing Olivia noticed as she began to wake up was her head gently rising and falling. Her head was splitting and her mind was a little fuzzy. When she felt the body next to her the panic began set in. Noah would be in his bed, she should be alone in hers. Just as she was about to bolt from her own bed a familiar perfume caught her attention. _'No way, this has got to be a dream.'_ She thought. She opened her eyes just enough and glanced upwards. Sure enough, Alex Cabot was in her bed. _'Oh God! What did we do?'_ Based on her breathing she was pretty sure Alex was awake, but what now? Olivia decided to pretend to be asleep just a little longer as she debated what to do. As the memories of the night before came flooding back she shifted just enough to squeeze her legs together as her arousal spiked. Sure she had thought about it some over the years what it would be like between them. Hot was always the word that came to mind, but after last night that word didn't even to it justice. Alex was still here though so that had to mean something, didn't it?

Alex could tell the difference in Olivia's breathing and knew the brunette was now awake, but decided to allow her this time to think. She didn't want to rush into anything. Her mind once again drifting over what had happened and what it could mean, she knew that no matter what it was she was determined their friendship remain intact.

Knowing Noah would be awake soon Olivia decided to bite the bullet and address the blonde. She stopped short though when she felt Alex's fingers lazily brushing against her arm. Olivia was also aware of their joined hands on the other side of Alex's body. She knew this was going to be awkward but feeling the gentleness in the way Alex was touching her she thought that maybe it wasn't going to be as bad as she originally thought. With one last deep breath she regretfully let go of Alex's right hand and rose up. "Hi."

Alex instantly missed the connection between them but couldn't help the smile that broke out "Hi."

"So…um…" Olivia grinned and blushed at her lack of words.

"Yeah." Alex chuckled as she propped herself against the headboard.

"This," Olivia motioned between them "It really happened?"

"Oh yeah." Seeing the grin that broke out on Olivia's face Alex returned it with her own.

"Okay." Said Olivia as she sat up and turned to face the blonde better. "So what does it mean?"

"I don't know, what do you think it means?"

Ever the attorney Olivia thought while shaking her head "I asked you first."

"You want the truth?" it was a stupid question, but Alex found herself wanting to stall.

"Under oath." Olivia grinned.

"Okay, well…it was amazing." A blush spreading across her face and neck, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Olivia was blushing as well. "You're one of my closest friends Olivia and I never want to lose that, but I would be lying if I said I'd never thought about us in this way."

Olivia was still nervous as could be but hearing Alex say the same thing she'd been thinking since waking up eased some of her nervousness. "I've had similar thoughts as well."

"So…"

"I…" meeting Alex's gaze she saw a mixture of fear and hope there. "You're one of my closest friends too Alex, one of the few people I trust more than anything. I'm afraid of us losing that."

"So am I, but I don't plan on allowing that to happen. Do you?" Olivia shook her head no. "Okay, so, does that mean we want to give this a shot?"

Olivia looked down at their hands that had slowly crept closer together, almost touching. The thought of giving this, whatever this was, a shot was so tempting but she was scared too. "This could end so badly Alex."

Alex nodded her head back and forth then grinned, almost mischievously "Then again I might just change your name."

Olivia's eyes widened at the boldness of the statement but couldn't help her smile.

They sat quietly for a minute, both lost in their thoughts, when a few mumblings were heard through the baby monitor. Olivia looked over for a moment trying to gauge if Noah was awake or not. Sensing he was still asleep she turned to face the blonde "I have Noah to consider now."

Alex nodded "You have to consider Noah."

"I've already started the adoption process, we're a package deal."

"My eyes are wide open going into this." she knew exactly what she was getting herself into.

"So where do we go from here?"

At that Alex smiled "Well, I think we should start by me asking you if you would like to go out on a date."

"A date huh?" she smiled.

"Well, we've already got the drinks at the bar and drunken sex out of the way." Alex laughed.

Olivia was laughing as well "Alex Cabot just asked me out." she still couldn't quite believe it.

"What?" Alex's eyes went wide and she leaned in a bit "You didn't think this was gonna be a 'wham-bam-thank you ma'am' deal did you?"

Olivia chuckled "I was hoping it wouldn't."

The air between them was beginning to shift slightly when fate intervened.

"Mama!"

Both laughed. "Sorry." Olivia said as she jumped up and made a run for the bathroom, knowing if she didn't she wasn't sure when her next opportunity would be.

As she brushed her teeth she stepped back into the bedroom just in time to see Alex pulling on her underwear and gathering her clothes from the floor. "You're not leaving, are you?"

"Uh…"

"I mean if you need to I understand, but if you'd like to stay and join Noah and me for breakfast you're more than welcome."

Alex's face brightened "Are you sure? I mean with Noah…I don't want to make it weird."

Olivia rinsed quickly and stepped back into the room while laughing "He's a year old Alex, not a teenager. He doesn't have a clue why you're here. Plus he knows you already so he'll be fine."

"Alright then, I'd love to join the Bensons for breakfast."

Olivia pulled on a pair of pajama pants "There's an extra toothbrush in the cabinet, help yourself to whatever you need, there are towels in the closet if you want to shower." She reached out and gently squeezed the blonde's hand before leaving the room.

Less than ten minutes later, having opted for skipping the shower and just washing her face and brushing her teeth, Alex walked down the hall of the apartment. She smiled at the sight that greeted her. Olivia was in the kitchen preparing pancakes while talking to Noah who was leaning on the coffee table in the living room watching a cartoon. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Nope." Olivia turned with a smile "Almost done." She walked over to the counter and leaned across it. "Noah?" she waited till she had her son's attention "We have a guest for breakfast this morning."

Even though he knew Alex he was still a little wary.

"Good morning Noah!" Alex said brightly.

"Hi." He then picked up his sippy cup of milk and turned back to his cartoon.

"Guess he's still waking up?"

"Hey, you got a 'hi' out of him, not bad at all. Some mornings I don't even get 'Mama'."

They sat at the bar, Noah in his highchair between them, eating pancakes. While both women still felt some awkwardness between them, there was excitement as well at where it could go. After helping clean up, Alex amazed at the mess Noah was capable of making, she changed into the sweats Olivia had offered her instead of her work clothes.

"I hate you have to leave." Olivia said as they stood near the door.

"So do I, but I have a date to plan." Alex grinned. "So, tonight still good?"

Olivia nodded "I text Lucy and she's free."

"Pick you up at seven?"

Olivia nodded again. "Last night was great." She blushed.

Alex was aware of her own blush as she smiled. "That it was."

"Listen Alex, I want to do this right. We don't know what this is yet, if there's even gonna be anything. I just want to make sure we do it right. I…" she knew what she wanted to say, she just didn't know how to say it.

"I agree Liv." seeing the surprised reaction she was receiving she grinned "You forget I can read you like a book. I think we need to take it slow and see what's gonna happen. I mean, as much as I'd love to have a repeat of last night, I think it's best if we wait."

Olivia released the breath she didn't know she was holding. She simply nodded, relieved they were both on the same page.

Alex looked over at the little boy now playing with his toys. "Bye Noah!"

He looked up and waved, barely whispering "Bye-bye."

"So, see you at seven?"

"I'll be waiting." Olivia smiled.

Alex reached out and gently squeezed Olivia's hand and placed a light kiss to her cheek "I can't wait." She turned and left the apartment, leaving a slightly dazed Olivia staring after her.

Finally shaking out of her stupor Olivia walked over and took a seat on the couch, Noah brining over his truck for her to play with. She started to laugh causing him to giggle along with her "Mama has gotten herself into it this time baby boy." Noah simply nodded in agreement causing the brunette to laugh even more. She had no idea what she was getting into, but she couldn't wait to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for the response to the first chapter! So glad you liked. I know some of you thought this might be a multiple chapter story but that's not the case. It was originally just going to be the first chapter but I had to add to it. A lot of this is flashbacks to how they got from that first awkward morning to where they are now. Time wise this chapter takes place later this year, several months into season 18. Let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Epilogue

It was days like this that drove Olivia crazy. After a wakeup call from Fin about a child abduction, the family being very well connected to some in city hall and One PP, it had been all hands on deck. Luckily the child was found safe a few hours after he was reported missing, a former disgruntled employee of the boy's father trying to extort money. Now she was sitting at her desk waiting for Carisi, who made the arrest, to finish some paperwork on the case and then she could head home. As she glanced out across her squad room she still felt a pang of sadness anytime her eyes fell on Mike's desk. The Sergeant had been gone for six months now but it was still difficult at times. If anything Mike's death had taught her not to take anything for granted, to enjoy every bit of life. That thought brought her attention to one of the pictures on her desk, a photo of a smiling Alex and Noah on the boardwalk at Coney Island.

A quick knock on her door interrupted her thoughts as Fin stepped into the office.

"You awake Liv?"

She gave him a tired smile "Barely."

"Hey, I'm sorry for calling you this morning but considering."

She cut him off "You did the right thing," then giving him a bright smile "Sergeant."

That had been one of the many changes since Mike's death. She'd felt that Fin slightly regretted his decision not to take the exam after Mike joined them. He'd still resisted taking the exam for a bit after Mike's death but after a long conversation with Munch he decided to take it and passed. He had now been SVU's Sergeant for three months.

He grinned and shrugged "I just didn't want One PP crawlin' up my ass all day."

"I'd be more than happy to let them crawl up someone else's ass instead of mine."

"Alex pissed at me?"

"She wasn't thrilled, but she understands. We both understand cases involving kids even more now."

"How about I have some cupcakes from that bakery she and Noah loves so much delivered?"

"It'll definitely earn you some points."

As Fin left Olivia leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes and sighed. Her mind drifted back to the picture of Alex and Noah from the summer after his adoption was finalized. She and Alex had finally disclosed their relationship after waiting a couple months to make sure it was what they both wanted, it was definitely what they wanted. Fin had been the first one they told; the older man was very happy for them, even smiling slyly at one point and saying he'd wondered once or twice back in the day if there was something between them. While telling everyone about their relationship did come as a surprise to many, everyone accepted it and were genuinely happy for them. As the summer progressed their relationship grew stronger with each passing day. For the Fourth of July holiday Alex begged her to get time off from work. Olivia knew it was a long shot but surprisingly she was granted her request. Alex had family who lived in Massachusetts and vacationed on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. One summer evening in particular stuck out in her mind.

 _It was a warm summer evening, a breeze blowing in off the Atlantic, they sat sharing a blanket looking out at the ocean. Olivia breathed in the salty air and sighed. "I'm so glad you convinced me to take this time off."_

" _Me too." Then nudging Olivia's shoulder "Besides, you were gonna have to meet my family at some point."_

 _Olivia grinned "You gotta remember, I'm not used to meeting the family. My relationships never get that far." She glanced over at some of Alex's relatives, then to Noah who was playing with the twins of one of Alex's cousins. They lucked out in having a couple kids his age there for him to play with. "I'm glad this one has gotten this far."_

" _So am I." she took a moment to observe the brunette; how a few strands of hair had worked loose from her ponytail and were blowing around her face, how her eyes sparkled in the waning sunlight, she'd never felt anything like she felt at that moment "I love you." her words were barely a whisper, her emotions taking over and almost preventing her from speaking._

 _Olivia felt her breath catch, tears immediately began to fill her eyes, and she thought her heart was gonna burst from her chest. Aside from the first time Noah said 'I love you' this was the only time she'd heard those words and believed the person saying them meant it. "I love you too Alex. I love you so much." Their lips met in a soft kiss that slowly began to grow in depth that was until Alex was hit from the side and she fell toward the brunette._

" _Oof!"_

 _Both looked up in time to see Noah falling over Alex's left arm and onto their laps, the little boy giggling at surprising both ladies. "Hi!"_

"Hey Lu, paperwork is all finished. Peterson is headed to Central Booking, Barba said if he needed anything else he'll call you."

"Thanks Carisi." She began gathering her things to go home. Glancing at her watch it was just past noon so she could still salvage her Saturday.

"Hey Liv?" she looked at the young detective. "No offense but you look like hell. Go home and get some rest."

Olivia chuckled as she took a look at one of Noah's photos on her desk "That's easier said than done Carisi."

"It's worth it though, right?" he was smiling now.

"More than worth it."

* * *

On the Upper West Side of Manhattan Alex walked down the stairs of the brownstone and collapsed on the couch. She knew it wouldn't last but she'd finally convinced Noah to take a nap. Glancing around their living room that was now decorated for Christmas it amazed her at the rollercoaster the last almost two years had been. She never imagined a night of drunken sex would be the foundation for such a solid, stable relationship. Granted it was fantastic drunken sex, but doing it sober was even better. Now looking around their home; toys scattered around the room, pictures adorning the walls and setting on almost every available surface, she'd never felt such a sense of home. As she closed her eyes her mind wandered back to the day Olivia mentioned them finding a place of their own.

" _Have you seen my gray pin-striped skirt?" Alex called out from the bedroom._

 _Olivia walked in with a wriggling Noah who was doing his best to avoid getting dressed. "Is it in the dry cleaning?"_

" _No." Alex huffed. She ran her hands through her hair then began searching for another outfit for work. "I guess it's at my apartment."_

 _Olivia sat Noah down and told him to go play for a few minutes before they have to leave. She walked over and wrapped her arms around the blonde, kissing her gently and smiling when she felt her relax. "Better?"_

" _Yeah," then a flirty grin "I'd be even better if we had a few extra minutes and Noah wasn't awake."_

" _Mmm…there's always tonight."_

 _Alex went back to searching through her clothes praying to find something suitable._

" _So…why don't we find a place of our own?"_

 _Alex spun around, eyes wide, evident shock on her face "What?"_

 _Olivia worried for a moment she'd said the wrong thing but pushed forward "You're practically here all the time. Which I love!" worried Alex would take it the wrong way "I've just been thinking maybe we should look into a place of our own. That way we can avoid mornings like this." Alex rolling her eyes while Olivia smirked "Plus, why pay for an apartment you're not even in ninety five percent of the time? Never mind Noah loves you being here."_

" _Just Noah?" she stepped closer._

" _Well…I kinda like you being here too."_

" _Liv, are you sure? I mean this is your home, this is Noah's first real home."_

" _I know but this place," she closed her eyes as images of the past couple years flashed in her mind. "I went through some of the worst moments of my life here. Granted it wasn't as bad as my old apartment but there are some less than good memories tied to this place." Then smiling a bit "Of course there are good memories as well. I mean, yeah, Cassidy and I split up while living here but he'd also helped me. Then the day I brought Noah home for the first time." her eyes sparkled while pulling the blonde closer "Then of course there was our night together."_

 _Alex had to blink back tears "Olivia, are you asking me to move in with you?"_

" _I most certainly am. I want you, me and Noah to be together every day."_

" _When can we start looking?"_

They began looking and fell in love with the third house they looked at. As soon as they walked in both knew it was going to be their home. They moved in as quickly as possible and were settled just before Thanksgiving, having now been in their home for just over a year. Checking her phone for any messages from Olivia, and finding none, she closed her eyes and hoped to get a few minutes rest.

* * *

Olivia had taken a cab when she left the precinct but several blocks from home had opted to walk the rest of the way. As she passed one of her favorite coffee shops she couldn't resist stopping in for a cup. As badly as she wanted to get home, the scent of freshly brewed coffee (as well as the caffeine) was drawing her in. After ordering her caramel macchiato latte, as well as a few chocolate chip cookies for Noah and one of the pumpkin scones Alex loved so much, she stepped out into the cool air.

As she walked home Olivia thought about all the changes that had taken place in her life over the last year. She stopped for just a minute and took a seat on a bench, deciding she wanted to have some quiet time with her thoughts for just a bit. Hearing her phone go off in her pocket she pulled it out to see Alex's face on the screen signaling a message from the blonde. She opened the message and smiled; it was a selfie of Alex, the blonde holding the phone at a distance, all that was visible was her bright smile and their two week old son Wyatt cradled against her chest.

' _Hey, just wanted to let you know we miss you! Noah is down for a nap and as you can see so is the new guy ;) He just drained my boobs so he should be content for a little while. Love you!'_

Olivia chuckled and typed a quick reply _'Be home soon! Love you too!'_

Staring down at the picture of the newest addition to their family Olivia swallowed back her tears. She'd never imagined she'd have a child and then Noah came into her life, now here she was with two sons. When Wyatt was born she'd been so afraid she wouldn't be able to love him like she did Noah, how could she love another child that much? Then when she laid eyes on him for the first time she knew, she loved him just as much as she loved Noah. Her precious little boys. As she finished her latte her thoughts turned to the night Alex mentioned another child.

 _They were lying in bed, both quietly lost in their own thoughts. It had been a week since Olivia was held hostage in that townhouse, it was also their first anniversary. They'd had a wonderful evening out; a Broadway show, dinner, and then home to a spa like setup in the bathroom courtesy of Lucy. After relaxing for a while they finally climbed into bed. While Alex had gone to check on Noah one last time Olivia had begun to have thoughts about that day in the townhouse. When Alex returned she nearly jumped out of her skin. And that was how they now found themselves quietly in bed instead of making love like they had planned._

" _Are you sure you're okay?"_

 _Olivia nodded "Sorry to ruin our evening."_

 _Alex rolled over and cautiously laid a hand on Olivia's arm "You didn't ruin a thing. We're here together aren't we?" Olivia nodded "And that's all that matters to me."_

" _I love you." Olivia said while leaning in for a kiss._

" _I love you more."_

 _They were quiet again when Alex spoke up. "I've been thinking about something, and I'm sure right now isn't the best time to bring it up but I'm afraid I'll lose my nerve if I wait any longer."_

 _Olivia grew nervous for a second but willed herself to calm down. "You can talk to me about anything."_

" _How would you feel about having another child?" seeing the look of surprise on the brunette's face she cautiously continued "I love Noah, don't get me wrong, and I love the life we have, but I keep having this feeling that I want a baby. I want to have our baby." she paused to see if Olivia would respond then continued. "It would also be someone for Noah. Olivia we both know how tomorrow is not guaranteed. I mean Velez, Lewis, what happened to you last week. I keep thinking down the road once we're gone, Noah would still have someone, and he wouldn't be alone."_

 _Olivia knew the blonde was right, she'd had the same thoughts herself. She remembered how lonely it was after her Mom died. Sure Simon came along years later but they weren't close, she hadn't heard from him in years. "Are you sure about this? I'd love to have another child, but you're the one who'll have to do the hard work."_

 _Alex grinned slightly "I took a bullet to the shoulder, I think I can handle pregnancy and delivery."_

 _Olivia felt her mood began to lighten as she rolled closer to the younger woman "So, we're gonna try to have a baby?"_

" _We're gonna have a baby."_

Finishing her latte, Olivia stood and threw it in the trash and continued her walk home. A bright smile on her face as she thought about her little family waiting for her.

* * *

Alex put Wyatt down in the bassinet they kept downstairs then headed up to Noah's room after hearing him call for her. Standing behind the gate at the top of the stairs the little boy smiled brightly at her as he waited.

"Hi Mommy!"

"Hi baby." Alex said as she hugged him to her. She held his hand as they walked back downstairs, wishing she could carry him but Olivia had begged her not to carry him just yet after delivering their newborn.

"Mama home?"

"She's on her way, she'll be here soon." She watched as Noah let go of her hand and ran over to look in the bassinet at his little brother. He stood there smiling as he watched him sleep for a minute then blew him a kiss before rushing over to play with his toys.

"Can I watch Cars Mommy?"

Alex started the movie and curled back on the couch. Hearing Noah call her Mommy would never get old and she still had to blink back tears from time to time. While she'd hoped to adopt him it was a decision she'd left to Olivia. She could still feel how amazing it felt the day Olivia asked her if she would adopt him.

 _They were walking through Central Park, taking Noah to see the animals at the zoo while the weather was still nice. Summer had given way to fall but it was still a warm, sunny day. They were watching the sea lions when Noah slipped off the little ledge he was standing on and fell to the ground. Even though they were sure he was uninjured a loud wail alerted everyone within the park to what had happened. Olivia was leaning in to pick him up when he threw his arms in the air toward Alex "Mommy!"_

 _Alex's eyes went wide, as did Olivia's, breaking free from her surprise Alex quickly pulled him into her arms "It's okay sweetie. You're alright." She rocked him for a few minutes until he calmed down. She looked over his shoulder at Olivia, both were fighting their tears. They'd never referred to her as 'Mommy' she was simply Alex, or 'Awex' as Noah pronounced it._

 _After he'd calmed down they continued through the park, finally stopping in a grassy area for him to play. Alex and Olivia sat on a bench watching him, both thinking about what had been said earlier. "He called me Mommy Liv." a bit of wonder in her voice._

 _Olivia chuckled and wiped a stray tear "I know." Seeing the tears in Alex's eyes she tapped her heart "Kinda gets you right here, doesn't it?" remembering the first time he called her Mama._

" _Is it okay though? I mean, are you okay with it?"_

" _Are you?"_

 _Alex watched him for a moment "I'd never thought I'd hear those words, that I'd want to hear it." now tears were escaping "It's one of the best things I've ever heard in my life."_

 _Olivia reached for her hand. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you something but Noah just beat me to it." a deep breath. "How would you feel about legally becoming his mother?"_

" _Olivia." Alex gasped as new tears escaped._

" _Alex you're already his mother; you fix him dinner, give him baths, read his bedtime story. On mornings I have to leave early you get him ready and take him to daycare. Alex you're as much his mother as I am. I want it to be official. Plus," she sighed "Nothing is guaranteed in my line of work. God forbid if something were to happen to me I want you and Noah to stay together. I can't stand the thought of anyone else raising him."_

 _Alex leaned in for a kiss "In my heart he's already my little boy, guess we might as well make it official."_

Having tired of his toys Noah climbed onto the couch with Alex and lay next to her. She wrapped an arm around him while he took her hand in his and played with her rings. Looking down at the platinum wedding set that Olivia had placed there just a few months ago still brought tears to her eyes. She was laying on the couch in this exact position the night the brunette proposed.

 _It had been a long week for both of them, Olivia being swamped at work as usual and Alex just finishing up a high profile case. It didn't help matters that she was still having morning sickness, but luckily it was ending sooner each morning and she didn't have to worry about asking for a recess during court. Noah was sound asleep and they were now laying on the couch, Olivia on her side and Alex on her back…both still glad they'd chosen such a large couch. Olivia lightly traced her fingers over Alex's still flat stomach while the blonde scrolled through their list on Netflix trying to decide what to watch._

" _You'd think with all these options it'd be easy to decide on something." Alex grumbled. She turned her head and was surprised to see the brunette with tears in her eyes. "Liv?"_

" _I love you so much Alex. Will you marry me?" it wasn't an elaborate speech, just a heartfelt declaration from a teary eyed Olivia._

" _Oh my God." Alex whispered. She covered her mouth for a second but quickly nodded her head as the tears fell. "Oh my God yes! I'd love to marry you!"_

 _Olivia placed her hand on Alex's cheek and kissed her soundly, then got up and ran upstairs. When she returned she dropped to her knees in front of Alex who was now sitting on the edge of the couch, still crying. She opened the ring box to reveal a beautiful diamond engagement ring. With shaky hands she slid it onto Alex's hand and kissed her finger just above the ring._

 _Alex placed her hands on both sides of Olivia's face and pulled her in for a kiss "I love you! I love you so much!"_

She was pulled from her thoughts when Noah jumped at the sound of Olivia coming in.

"Mama!" he ran to her, throwing his arms around her legs and holding on.

"Hey handsome." Olivia said while hugging him. She saw him eyeing the bag in her hand, a sneaky grin spreading across his face "Cookies?"

Olivia nodded and handed him one. She walked across the room, stopped to look in on the baby, placing a light kiss to his forehead then sat down next to Alex. She kissed the blonde, their lips lingering for a moment, then sat the bag on her lap "Cookies for Noah, pumpkin scones for you."

"You know, I have to lose weight now Liv. I can't keep using the excuse 'the baby is craving it' anymore."

"You look gorgeous. I mean two weeks out and I can barely tell you were even pregnant."

Alex scoffed "Liar."

"It's true! Well, except for these puppies." She lightly caressed one of Alex's full breasts. "These are the only giveaway that you were pregnant." Leaning in close to her ear "I hope they stay this way."

"Well at the rate the little pig over there eats they'll be saggin' to my knees in a few months."

"And I'll still love you."

Later that afternoon they dressed the boys in their Christmas outfits and headed out to have their pictures with Santa taken. Olivia had done it with Noah the first Christmas he spent with her and it was now a tradition.

By the end of the day the entire Benson-Cabot family was exhausted. At Noah's insistence they made Christmas cookies so they would know if they were good before they made them for Santa, which resulted in their kitchen being a mess. They wouldn't trade it for anything. Noah soundly sleeping in his bed, Wyatt fed and settled in his bassinet in their room, Olivia holding Alex from behind as they watched him sleep.

"Do you remember that first morning we woke up together?" Alex asked quietly.

"How can I forget?" Olivia chuckled.

"As awkward and nervous as I was that morning I knew I wanted this, I wanted us."

"I was so afraid it would end badly, end our friendship but you seemed so sure about it."

"I was terrified." Then running her fingers over Olivia's wedding ring "Although I was right about changing your name."

Olivia turned Alex in her arms and smiled "I'm so glad you took the lead that morning, I wanted to try but was too scared to say so."

"Looks like it worked out anyway." She kissed her wife quickly "I remember wondering if it could be love."

Olivia kissed her again; a deep, passionate, soul searching kiss "It's definitely love."


End file.
